


I Will Go Down With This Ship

by amine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 13:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10967946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: Two tales of unrequited love.





	I Will Go Down With This Ship

**Author's Note:**

> Because let's be real, making England suffer from unrequited love is still one of my favorite things. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Just in case it isn't clear, these fics are unrelated.

It was foolish to think that he'd never cross paths with Alfred again. Given the number of years they spent together, they accumulated many mutual friends. Seeing each other again was inevitable.

Regardless, Arthur shrinks into the shadows when he sees Alfred enter the building with a lovely woman on his arm. It's his own fault for accepting one of Francis's invitations, gala event or no. He finishes his glass of wine in one gulp and heads for the bar to ask for something much stronger. He's going to need it.

It had ended badly, with nasty words and cold looks.

“I don't love you anymore, Arthur,” Alfred had said with an uncharacteristically harsh look on his face. “I haven't for a while.”

The words had stung, cut so deep that it had physically hurt, but they were no excuse for how Arthur had responded.

“Fair enough, because I haven't loved you for a very long time.”

That had been a lie, the worst Arthur has ever told. Even then, Arthur had still been deeply in love with Alfred. Even now, he still is.

He hasn't forgotten—and doesn't want to—the taste of Alfred's skin, the feeling of their bodies sliding against each other, and the way their hands and lips always found each other. He won't forget coffee in his kitchen, hot dogs and baseball along with fish and chips and rugby, and holding each other for no other reason than to feel the other's heartbeat.

But even if his feelings are just as strong as ever, the fact remains that Alfred's love had faded and they pushed each other away that day. There is no going back.

As Arthur tries to slip off unnoticed, Alfred, now separated from his pretty friend, happens to step near him as he greets other friends, and Arthur's heart skips a beat as their eyes meet. Alfred's brilliant smile fades into a hesitant, uncomfortable look as they watch each other in tense silence.

Arthur wants to apologize, and even worse he wants to hold Alfred— _feel_ him again.

But everything is in the past, and there's no use dwelling on what was, even if it will always linger.

Arthur sets his empty wine glass to the side and straightens himself up, extending his right hand with a curt nod.

“Hello, Alfred,” he says, betraying nothing.

Alfred stays still for a moment, but then his expression softens into a friendly smile. He takes Arthur's hand in his and shakes it firmly.

“Good to see you, Arthur.”

* * *

The clock tower at noon. He’d confirmed it multiple times. Even as a torrent of rain began to fall, he’d made sure to be at the designated spot. He watched as others scrambled to find shelter or huddled under their brollies as they walked through the rain.

Arthur was convinced that today would be the day. He had a dozen roses in hand and enough conviction to overcome his anxiety. He would ask Alfred to be more than just friends who went to the same coffee shop almost every day. Arthur hated coffee, and he put up with the same weak cup of tea day after day because Alfred liked going to that particular shop. He never failed to voice his distaste, but he didn’t insist that they go somewhere else, either.

Alfred Jones. The student he’d met by chance on his first day in the States. Alfred had made offensive remarks about his eyebrows and his accent, and Arthur had called him an insufferable bastard. That should have been the end. Instead, Arthur had run across him again when he’d admitted to himself that he needed additional help with physics. Alfred became his tutor. Despite their initial clash of personalities, they fell into a comfortable pattern and became good friends.

Arthur, meanwhile, also fell in love. After over a year of meeting with Alfred nearly every single day, he was fairly certain that his feelings were reciprocated. It had taken him a while to work up the nerve, but he was finally ready to confess his feelings.

But it was long past noon, and the chill of the fall air was cutting through his sopping wet coat. Alfred was never very good about being punctual, and so Arthur was confident that soon he’d come running across the plaza with his hair sticking to his forehead and a silly excuse at the ready. He clutched at the roses and glared at anyone who dared to give him a funny look.

Just when he was ready to call Alfred to give him a few choice words, his mobile chimed, informing him that he had received a new text message. He ripped the phone out of his pocket to see that it was from Alfred. When he opened the message, his heart clenched.

“Sorry, bro. My new gf wanted to stay in today. Coffee tomorrow, right?”

Arthur stared in blank disbelief at the text, reading it over and over. Gf. Girlfriend. Alfred had a girlfriend.

He slowly lowered the phone back into his pocket and stared at the roses in his hand instead. The raindrops on the petals only added to their beauty, but they would never reach their intended recipient. Arthur’s face twisted into a frown. His chest felt so tight that it was painful.

When he felt his lower lip quiver, he lifted his head, taking a deep breath and rapidly blinking. The rain was picking up, and he closed his eyes and let the drops pound against his face. At last, he started to walk back through the rain, leaving the roses on a bench for someone else to find. He shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his chin held high.

But for all his defiance, he didn’t know how he’d be able to face Alfred again.


End file.
